The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, the Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, has expressed concern about politicking in the church. He wondered how members of the church could forge ahead in unity when campaign managers were now being engaged to solicit votes for church positions. Most Reverend Asante was speaking on Saturday, May 22, at a breakfast meeting organized by the Men’s Fellowship of the St. John’s Methodist Church in Accra, as part of activities marking the 20th anniversary of the church. It had the theme, ‘Arise, O Men of God.’ “the work of God is not about politics,” he stated, adding that, “except one is called by God, no amount of politics or favoritism would make the individual effective”. He stressed: “When members of the church decided to choose followers and personalities along ethnic and other selfish lines, the church will end up with mediocre performers.” On the state of the Methodist Church, Most Rev. Asante said the work of the church would not be complete unless the living standards of communities in the rural areas were improved. Some members of the church, he noted, were suffering just because they had been posted to villages to champion the work of God, whilst their colleagues in Accra lived in sophisticated homes and drove expensive cars. “They are also showered with many gifts which they sometimes have no use for and thus are left to rot in their garages,” he added. He said it was time the Methodist Church took a serious look at their brothers and sisters in the remote areas who because of work, were unable to get either good shelter or schools for their wards. The Presiding Bishop urged the Men’s Fellowship of the St. John’s Society to rise up and champion the cause of bridging the gap between the various societies and eschew individualism, party politics and parochialism, and forged ahead in unity. He also advised the church to also eschew hypocritical attitudes like spiritual arrogance, litigation and adultery, among others, which discouraged others from getting involved in the work of God. Source: Ghanaian Times